Expansible-fluid turbine.



PATENTED MAR. s, 1904.

B. s. GHURGH. EXPANSIBLE FLUID TURBINE."

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 81,1902.

5 SHEETS-SHEET N0 MODEL.

. Q a P THE Noam: PETERS CO."PHOTO-LITHO., wASnmuwN. n. cy

' PAIENTED MAR. 8,

B. S. CHURCH. EXPANSIBLE FLUID TURBINE.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1902.

H0 IODHL.

WITNESSES Y 4175mm."

rnz nomm PETERS,G0. woTmLmm. WASHINGTON. n. c

. PATENTED} MAR. a, 1904. B. s.- 0111111011. BXPANSIBLE FLUID TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1902.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

no MIODBL.

03m IN "(m/Ton mmzsse's:

"Tank/Er.

,m; upnms PETERS 0a.. mum-Limo. msniunron. n, c

I PATENTED MAR. 8.1904.

B. S. GHURGH. I I

EXPANSIBLE FLUIDTURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4..

N0 HODEL.

N 1 ELM. W N w m .W/ TIIESSES I TTORNEY'.

we nonms pzrzns co. finoraumm wnsumsmu, D. c.

\ PATENTEDMAB. 8,19Q4." B. S.-'GHUR.GH. 'BXPANSIBLB FLUID TURBINE;

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1902.

- 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

NO MODEL.

1 I V IIIIYEIITUH mmgssss 5 I ATTORNEY.

- U ITED STATES- Patented March 8, 1904.

BENJAMIN S. CHURCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR JAMES K.

LANNING, TRUSTEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

EXPANSlBLE-FLUID TURBINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart f L ters Patent No. 753,855,- dated March 8, 1904; c f

Application filed July 31, 19021 semi No. 117,749. (No model.)

panying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to the construction of turbine-engines for use with expansible fluids, such as steam. l

It has for its object to provide an engine of this character which will utilize thepower of the steam admitted to it to a very high degree, which is especially adapted to avoid the loss of power through leakage, in which provision is made for so distributing the impulses which actuate the turbine as to balance them as nearly as possible, and in which provision is made for operating the engine at a comparatively low rate of speed without sacrificing the available energy in the steam and without unduly increasing the size of the engine as a whole.

My engine embodies a construction in which a bucket-wheel is employed having a circumferential series of buckets in connection with a casing having a series of chambers and directing-ports, each chamber communicating with the one in advance of it through a port and the buckets successively and with the one at its rear through the buckets and the port leading from said rear chamber in succession; and a very important feature of my invention consists in making the ports of progressively greater area corresponding to the increasing Volume of the steam and each of such area as will give passage to the same weight of steam in the same time and in making the chambers also of progressively greater area and each of considerably greater area than the volume of the steam actually passing through the turbine at the pressures" existing in the chambers. In this way I to a large extent eliminate the element of accelerated velocity due to the progressive expansion of the steam, reconverting much of the velocity generated in each passage of the steam through the buckets into pressure in the receiving-chamber, and thus facilitate the mode of operation which I prefer and in which the steam at each passage of the buckets moveswith the same velocity.

One of the leading features of my invention consists in dividing the steam admitted at one side of the turbine-wheel into two volumes and passing each volume in opposite directions around the circumference of the wheel to a discharge port or ports lying at the.opposite side of the axis of the wheel to the admission-port, each of'the divided vol.

umes of steam being caused to act repeatedly upon the blades of the'turbine-wheel, the chambers through which it passes being preferably of increasingarea and the ports of such increasing size that each will pass the same weight of the expanding steam and with the same degree of velocity, so that the various impulses given to the turbine-wheel will be equal. It will readily be seen that by this arrangement the pressure on both sides of the wheel is practically the same and also that it avoids bringing together into close juxtaposition volumes of steam at materially different pressure-a condition, of course, which is most likely to promote injurious leakage and loss of power.

, Another important feature of my invention consists in providing the turbine-wheel with two peripheral lines vof buckets and causing the steam on its way from the admission to the exhaust port to pass alternately through buckets of the two systems. This construction enables me to double the number of drops in steam-pressure between the admission and discharge ports, with a corresponding diminution in the speed at which the turbine should normally run forhighest efliciency, and, ar-

ranging the buckets on opposite sides of the supporting-disk, as I do by preference, it also enables me to balance the pressure on the wheel with great nicety;

Other features of my invention will be best.

understood as described in connectionwiththe drawings, in'which they are illustrated, and in which- 1 Figure 1 is a verticalcross-Section through an engine having my improvements, taken on the line 1 1 of'Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a longitudi-. nal section taken on the line 2 20f Fig. 1;:

Io o.

Fig. 3, a similar section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4., a similar section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross'section through one of the side castings of the engine, taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a face view of this side casting. Fig. 7 is a detail view, on a larger scale, showing the buckets of the turbine, the directing-ports through which the steam is led to the turbine, and the chambers connecting with the admission and directing ports. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view indicated as being taken on the curved section-line 8 8 of Fig. 4. Fig. 9 isa face view of one of the castings between which the disk of the turbine-wheel turns. Fig. 10 is a similar view of a modified and preferred form, and Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 11 11 of Fig. 10.

A indicates the frame or standards upon which the turbine-engine is supported. Upon a the top of the standards, as shown, are annular bearings A, in and upon which are supported the side plate-castingsBB, these side platecastings being made with hub-like extensions B. which fit into the anuular flanges A, as shown best in Fig. 1, and in which are formed circular bearings, as indicated at B for the shaft D of the engine.

B indicates bracing-ribs for the side castings B, and B outwardly-extending flanged annular ribs between which and a peripheral extension B of the plates B extend a series of partitions B dividing the spaces between the flanges B* and B into a series or, preferably, as shown, into two series of chambers, as indicated at b b 6 &c.

B is an annular ring which may be formed integral with the plate B or separate and fitted to it, as indicated in Figs. 10 and 11, and which serves to support the walls B" of the directingports, through which the steam is admitted to the turbine, and also the directing-veins B, which lie between said walls B", as best shown, for instance, in Fig. 7.

The two plates B B fit nicely but clearing the disk D which supports the blades of the turbine, a Very small clearance in a well-balanced engine being suflicient to prevent injurious friction, and in order to avoid or at least greatly diminish the loss of efliciency through leakage between the disk and the plates B B I form in the faces of said plates a series of fluid-packing grooves, which irrespective of any particular arrangement will serve their well-known function of preventing or greatly diminishingleakage. By preference,however, I form these grooves in the faces of the plates B, which faces are indicated at B as is shown at B that is to say, running across the faces of the plates at lines substantially transverse to a line connecting the admission and exhaust ports of the engine-the said grooves either extending through the edges of the plate, as indicated in Fig. 9, or by preference communicating with apertures B formed through B their faces are recessed, as indicated at B",

so as to make room for the enlarged hub portion D of the plate D a considerable clearin Fig. 1, and annular oil-receiving grooves B being formed in the plates communicating with the outer faces of the plates by ducts at the bottom, as indicated at B. Some receptacle or conduit should of course be supplied to carry off the oil from'the ducts .B, though, as this may be of any desired construction, I have not illustrated such a receptacle in the drawings. 7

C C are bearings fitted in the bearings B of the side plates and serving to support the shaft D, which,witl1 its hub portion D and disk D have been already mentioned. By preference 'ance being preferably provided, as indicated a the shaft and disk are made integral, as is also a the annular rim I) at the end of the disk D", which fits nicely over the edge of the annular ring B and is provided, as shown, with two series of buckets, (indicated at D and 0Z",) said buckets extending in opposite directions from the edges of the rim D the buckets lying immediately over the walls and veins B and B, as is indicated in the drawings.

The casing, so to speak, of the engine is made up of two plates B B and the three additional parts, each of which may conveniently be a single casting, (indicated at E, F, and H,) the casting E being provided with an admission-port G at its top and an exhaust-port G at its bottom. The castingE is annular, forming between its curved outer wall and flat inner wall E an annular chamber, which is divided by partitions (indicated at E and best shown in Fig. 4) into two series of chambers, (indicated at e e 6 &c.,) the chamber e being common to both series, and one series extending on each side of the annular casting until a it connects, through the common bottom chamber 12 with the exhaust-port G; and it will be observed that the chambers are progressively of greater capacity. Each of the chambers formed in the annular casting E is provided with two openings through flat face E of the casting, one series (indicated at E extending through the outer edge of the flat face and communicating with the chambers 0 0 0 &c. formed in the casting H, to be hereinafter described, while the other 1 series of openings (indicated at E E, &c.) communicate through the inner edge of the flat face E with the series of chambers 6 6 ,820. formed in the righthand plate B, as indicated in Fig. 1, the similar chambers formed in the left-hand plate B l in said figure being indicated at q (1 (1 &c. The casting F is of a generally similar character to the casting E, except in the arrangement of its partition-walls, (indicated at F the differences being exactly shown in Fig. 4,

where the partition-wallsF bi th e casting aref'sho'wn in sectionand the' partition-walls F of' thecasting F- in dottedjlines'. Each of the chambers g" (1 &c.," of thecasting'F is prjovided'with two openings 'throu'g'h the flat 'face plate F, thoseformed through the outer faceofthe'face-plate being indicated atF" and "cdmmunicatin with the chambers n n ni,"'&c., formed in the casting H, while theopenings'(indicated at F) formed through the inner edge of the face-plate communicate with the series of'chambers Q 1 &c.-, formed on :the'edge of the left-hand. face-plate B. The central castingH,'lying between the castings'E and F, has an annular outer wall and also a narrower inner wall (indicated at H) which fit's nicely about the outer face of'the wheel-rimD and from which extends lateral divisio'n plates, those lying to the right, as shown'fin Fig. 1, being indicated at H and shown in Fig. 2, and those lying to the left beingfindicated at H and shown in Fig. 3. The division-plates H register with the partitions B of the right-hand casting B, and

those lying to the leftregisterwith the partitions B ofthe left-hand casting" B, as is clearlyshowni'n Figs. 2 and 3. annular central flange H extends upwardfrom the inner ring H to an intermediate annular ring H, while partition-walls-I-F and H rising, respectively, from the bars H and H separate the-inner zone of the casting H into two series of chambers, those lying at the right hand of the center, as indicated "in Fig. 1, be ing indicated at h b 71. &c,, (see Fig.2) and those to the left-hand of the center of the en-v gine, as shown in Fig. 1, being indicated at Z Z P, &c as indicated in Fig. .3. f .The space :lyingbetween the intermediate annular wall H .and theouter wall of the casting H is divided by transverse partitions H into chambers, one or, rather, a double series of which is indicatedv at a 1134?, &c. while the other double series is, indicatedat 0 0 0 &c.', the, chambers 0 -0 800. communicating with the v chambers 0 & c., of thecasting E, as already described andfas-sh'own in Fig'."8,-while the chambers'n n &'c., communicate with the chambersf"f ,&c., of the casting A series of openings H in the intermediate parti tion H connect the chambers nfli, .c., with the chambersk if, &c'., and a series of similar openings (indicated atH?) connect the chambers 0 0 &c., with the chambers Z 1 ,860. In operation'steam is admitted to the .en-

gine through" the port Gfentering the central chamber, (indicated at 2;" and best shown in Fig; 4,) from" which it passes downward" into the two chambers Z) 6 of the right-hand casting B (see Fig. 2) from the directing-ports formed.

in the ring D, and communicating with these chambers the steam passes to and impinges uporf the buckets of the turbine and then passes into the two chambers k h in the annular casting H, thence it passes upward into the two chambers nin', (see Figs. 2 ,and- 3 andv thence into the two chambers f f of the left-hand casting.-

(See FigSqLfi; and 8.) From these twochambers the steam passes to the'chambers q q in the" left-hand casting B and thence through the proper directing ports it is impinged upon the buckets of the wheel and after passing through the Wheel enters the chambers Z Z in the casting H, 'from which it passes to the chambers 0 0 and from'these chambers to the: chambers ge (e in the ;-casting- E, from which it enters the chambers 656 in the right -'hand casting B, passing'thence through the directing-ports, againthrough the buckets of the wheel. .This circulation of the steam through the variouschambers and ports of the engine continues, one volume passing around the periphery of the wheel to the right and theother around theperiphery -of the wheel to the'left' until they are merged in the chamber f from which they pass through the chamber a andthe chamber 6 The areaof the.

eflect a uniform drop in temperature be tween each pair of connected chambers, the

ports in all cases being proportioned, as al-.

ready stated, to pass in a giventime a uniform weight of steam and with identical velocities,

so that each impulse communicated to the Y buckets of the turbine is uniform in force and velocity with the others.

It will readily be understood that by divid:

ing the volume of steam as described and passing the divided volumes in opposite directions around the peripheryof the wheel Itavoid leakage such as is due in engines of this charactor to "the juxtaposition of relatively very high and very low pressure chambers, and it will also be clear that my construction and arrangement of parts is one which effects a true and perfect balance''a matter of considerable importance in engines of this character, A I

which will necessarily rotate at a. high rate of speed,'though my construction, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, enables me to run at a'much lower rate of speed than hasv been usuallypracticable with turbine-engines or at least practiced with a proper economical use of steam.

Patent, is-

I. A turbine for expansible having a it Having now described myinvention, what 'claimas new, and desireto secure by Letters wheel provided with a circumferentially-arranged series of buckets, in combination with a casing having a multiple series of chambers and directing-ports, each port leading through the bucket to a succeeding chamber, the ports being progressively of increasing area corresponding to the increasing expansion of the fluid and each adapted to give passage to the same weight of fluid in the same time, and the chambers being progressively of increasing area and of materially greater area than the volume of the steam actually passing through the turbine at the pressures existing in the chambers whereby the velocity of the entering steam is checked and the velocity of the steam passing out through theports regulated by the pressure in the chambers.

2. A turbine for expansible fluids having an admission-port and an exhaust-port on opposite sides of the center, a circumferentially-arranged series of buckets on the wheel proper and two series of chambers and directingports leading from the admission to the exhaust port, one series arranged on each side of the wheel and said chambers and ports communicating with each other through the buckets of the wheel.

3. A turbine for expansible fluids having an admission-port and an exhaust-port on opposite sides of its center, a circumferentially-arranged series of buckets on the wheel proper, two series of chambers, one arranged on each side of the wheel between the admission and sively larger and each of area suflicient to .check the velocity of the steam passing through it, a series of ports, one leading into each chamber from the buckets of the wheel and a series of directing-ports, one leading from each chamber to the buckets of the wheel said directing-ports being progressively larger and each adapted to pass a uniform weight of the progressively-expanding fluid at uniform velocities.

4:. A turbine for expansible fluids having a disk-like wheel secured to its main shaft and provided with buckets around its circumference in combination with a wheel-casing having parallel plates forming a nice fit with the sides of the disk-like center of the turbine, said casingplates having a series of fluidpacking grooves on their faces lying opposite to the disk, admission and exit ports situated on opposite sides of the wheel-center and two series of chambers and directing-ports, one series extending on each side of the wheel from the admission to the exhaust ports, the chambers of each series communicating with each other in series through the directingports and the buckets of the wheel.

5. A turbine for expansible fluids having a disk-like wheel secured to its main shaft and provided with buckets around its circumference in combination with a wheel-casing having parallel plates forming a nice fit with the sides'of the disk-like center of the turbine, said casing-plates having a series of fluid packing grooves on their faces lying opposite to the disk, said grooves extending across the face of the casing and substantially at right angles to the line connecting the inlet and exhaust ports, admission and exit ports situated on opposite sides of the wheel-center and two series of chambers and directing-ports, one series extending on each side of the wheel from the admission to the exhaust ports, the chambers of each series communicating with each other in series through the directing ports and the buckets of the wheel.

6. A turbine for expansible fluids having a disk-like wheel secured to its main shaft and provided with buckets, around its circumfer ence in combination with a wheel-casing having parallel plates forming a nice fit with the sides of the disk-like center of the turbine,

said casing-plates having a series of fluid packing grooves on their faces lying opposite to the disk, said grooves extending across the face of the casing and substantially at right angles to the line connecting the inlet and exhaust ports and said casing having openings through its edges leading into chambers on the sides of the turbine and into which openings the fluid-packing grooves open, admission and exit ports situated on opposite sides of the wheel-center and two series of chambers and directing-ports one series extending on each side of the wheel from the admission to the exhaust ports, the chambers of each series communicating with each other in series through the directing-ports and the buckets of the wheel.

7. A turbine for expansible fluids having in combination a wheel provided with two circumferentially arranged sets of buckets arranged side by side, a casing having inlet and exhaust ports set opposite to each other, partitions arranged in the casing to divide it into two sets of chambers of increasing size, one set extending from the inlet to the exhaust port on each side of the wheel, and directingports leading from each chamber to the successive one through the buckets of the wheel and alternately through buckets of the separate sets of buckets.

8. A turbine for expansible fluids having in combination a wheel provided with two circumferentially-arranged sets of radial buckets arranged side by side, a casing having inlet and exhaust ports set opposite to each other, partitions arranged in the casing to divide it into two sets of chambers of increasing size, one Set extending from the inlet to the exhaust port on each side of the wheel and radially arranged directing ports leading from each chamber to the successive one through the buckets of the wheel and alternately through buckets of the separate sets of buckets.

9. A turbine for expansible fluids having in combination a wheel provided with two circumferentially-arranged sets of buckets set side by side, a casing having inlet and exhaust ports, a series of fluid-chambers formed in the casing between the inlet and exhaust ports connected in series through the buckets of the wheel and arranged to successively deliver the fluid alternately to buckets of the two se-..

ries.

combination a wheel provided with two circumferentiallyarranged sets of radial buckets set side by side, a casing having inlet and exhaust ports, a series of fluid-chambers formed in the casing between the inlet and exhaust ports connected through buckets of the alternate series, and directing-ports one leading from eachchamber to the buckets and 10. A turbine for expansible fluids having in a all arranged to deliver the fluid to the inner edges of the radially-arranged buckets.

11. A turbine for expansible fluidshaving in combination a wheel provided with two circessivel; deliver the fluid alternately-t0 buckv ets of the two series.

. BENJAMIN S. CHURCH. Witnesses:

JOSEPH F. ONEILL, D. STEWART. 

